Description With the Women's Rugby World Cup taking place here in England this year, it's an incredibly exciting time to join the RFU and working at the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union & develop the sport for future generations. If our purpose resonates with you, and you recognise the value that sport can bring to people’s lives, we’d love to work with you. An opportunity has arisen for a Competitions Development Officer to join our Player Experience team on a fixed term basis. Job Title : Competitions Development Officer Department : Player Experience – Rugby Development Reports to : National Competitions Manager Direct report : Competitions Activator Salary Banding : c. £40,000 per annum Job Level : Implement Location : Homebased (South West) Travel Requirements : Travel around the South West as needed – company car provided Employment Type : 12-month Fixed Term Contract Working Hours : This is a full-time role, covering 35hrs per week on any five out of the seven days of the week (from Monday to Sunday inclusive) Application Information: Please submit an anonymised CV (i.e. please exclude personal details). The closing date for applications Sunday 9th February at 9pm. The RFU reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Applications may be considered whilst this vacancy is advertised. The Role: England Rugby or Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby in England. Our purpose is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union and develop the sport for future generations. This role plays a fundamental part in supporting clubs to sustain and grow themselves within the community. It is an exciting time to join the Rugby Development team, with a four-year community game investment and prioritisation plan recently being agreed which sets out the direction and focus for our work in the community game for at least the next four years. The role holder will provide focus and momentum to the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) support for the male and female game across the competitions landscape. They will develop and manage successful relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders at a regional and local level, to facilitate development of appropriate playing opportunities that support the RFU’s strategic plan. This will include working in partnership and collaborating with Constituent Bodies, Regional Organising Committees (DOC) and other local competitions contacts across the adult male, adult female and age grade game, covering all game formats, but with a focus on the fifteen-a-side game. The role holder will work collaboratively with other national teams to ensure their work is relevant, effective, and connected. The role holder will have a strong focus on inclusion and diversity, championing the RFU commitment to increasing participation in all aspects of our sport and bringing more diversity to rugby union. This role is likely to evolve as the community game investment and prioritisation plan is implemented and the RFU starts delivering against the strategic objectives within the plan. What will you be doing? Some key responsibilities include: Positively engage, collaborate and maintain relationships with relevant ROC, and other local competitions contacts, across the adult male, adult female and age grade game, covering all game formats. Support senior management in developing a consistent and effective approach to managing relationships and in setting relevant KPIs with alignment to the RFU strategic plan. Develop a regional action plan focussed on the development and delivery of competitions and programmes that facilitate playing opportunities to retain current players, re-engage lapsed and recruit new players. Secure stakeholder commitment and collaboration towards achieving KPIs and manage the relationships, implementing troubleshooting and first line support/expertise where required. Support volunteer capacity building in the various stakeholder groups to drive sustainability, expertise and operational collaboration. Maintain high professional standards and ensure these are promoted in the competitions community. Attend and be a key contributor to relevant stakeholder meetings and events on a consistent and regular basis. Report on progress and support the collection of data, especially player/team/match insight relating to the relevant competitions and programmes Work effectively with relevant national teams, to ensure coordination, integration and synergy between work and programmes. Actively collaborate with colleagues to contribute to the development and delivery of the current strategic, business and operational plans. Act as an ambassador for, and promote the best interests of the RFU, including the promotion of our culture and core values – This Rose Means Everyone: Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other. Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of the organisation. QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role. Essential: Strong experience of working in a customer facing, relationship/partnership management role, providing guidance and support. Must be “customer service” driven, with an understanding of “customer/member” requirements and orientation towards service of others. Strong experience of working with local and regional agencies. Strong practical experience of the operational workings of sport and of club rugby. Strong practical experience of ensuring solutions are consistent and land effectively with partners. Experience of delivering to key performance indicators. Experience of being in a delivery role with the ability to implement to a clear and concise plan. Highly self-motivated and able to work under own direction to achieve stated objectives within the necessary timescales. Ability to engage and influence at all levels. Effective oral and written communication skills, including report writing and delivering effective presentations. Ability to effectively plan, monitor and share work with others. Identifies, develops and maintains relationships and partnerships internally and externally with the ability to influence upwards and with peers. Competent in the use of Microsoft Office Applications. Flexibility to cope with unsociable hours including evening & weekend working. Will adopt a “hands on” approach with attention to detail. Committed to embodying the ethos our culture by using our three core values – Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other – to guide your day-to-day decisions, actions and interactions. Committed to actively contributing and building an inclusive culture in your role and day to day behaviours. Desired: An effective team member, with sufficient flexibility and willingness to take on roles outside their normal functional responsibility when required. Additional Information: We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If there is anything we could do to support you through your application or to provide the best environment for your interviews, including assistance or adjustment, please reach out to recruitmentrfu.com. During your application, we will ask questions about your identity. This information is considered highly confidential and will not be seen by hiring managers. You can find out more about why we ask these questions here. If you are a trans candidate applying for a job that requires a DBS check, please reach out to recruitmentrfu.com or directly to our safeguarding team (safeguardingrfu.com) to use the confidential sensitive application route. This will provide applicants with the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate. This role will require a DBS check. Please download the job description here for full details of this role. We recommend keeping a copy of the JD to hand as you may wish to revisit the role requirements in the event you are invited to interview.